We received a record-breaking 97 votes this month and it was neck and neck for a while between Ailsa and Claire from The Hungriest Hippo who made us a Potato, Roast Garlic and Thyme Soup. Just 3 points in it, so I think a pat on the back has to go to Claire too! Thank you to everyone who contributed and everyone who voted.

Your badge is winging it's way to you Ailsa :)

It is almost time for March's challenge. To find out what Lisa has chosen as the topic, head over to Lisa's Kitchen.

A Slice of Cherry Pie Forum has a monthly book club and it is up and running this month (March) with a quirky, real life story about a family who moved from their home in France, to the UK and bought a dilapidated farm.

We Bought A Zoo by Benjamin Mee

Here is the jacket review:

While looking for a place to buy for his 76-year-old mother after his father's death, Benjamin Mee, living in France with his wife and two children, received details of his "dream scenario" by his sister. Unusually, the property in question was a struggling zoo.

We Bought A Zoo tells the story of how the dilapidated Dartmoor Wildlife Park, populated by around 400 exotic animals, was transformed into the busy Dartmoor Zoological Park by an ordinary family using a trial-and-error method. Along the way, Mee has to deal with an escaped jaguar, fighting (among people as well as animals), an escapologist wolf, and a tiger which stands up during general anaesthetic.

The book also describes how the family coped during the gradual deterioration of Mee's wife Katherine due to a brain tumour and how they coped with her loss.
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If you would like to join in, leave a comment on the forum to let us know you are joining us and we will start a discussion about the book, as the month progresses.

You will find the discussion thread on the book shelf. The discussion will contain the word SPOILER, for those who haven't finished the book when the discussion starts. You may start the book at any point during the month.

My Chocolate and Beetroot Brownie Cake. Listen to me, ha, I have acquired it, therefor, it is mine. If you want the truth, I got this gorgeous brownie recipe from Jules over at Domestic Goddess in Training and it is the best! A fudgey, moist, dense, chocolate hit of a brownie and of course it is healthy because it has beetroot in it! Honest!

This time I decided to layer the brownie up with a peanut butter frosting. The reviews were mixed. Some people loved it and others who are not fond of peanut butter, would have preferred a chocolate frosting. I was in the first group, it was delicious!

The roundup is a little later than usual, as my computer died and wouldn't let me recover my document. Arrrgh! Hey ho, I just had to start again, so better late than never, here it is!

Potatoes.

They are always good aren’t they? You will be particularly impressed when you see the potato soup and salad recipes that have been submitted for this month’s No Croutons Required. I wasn’t overly impressed with my own entry, but I now have a lot more variations to try out.

We are starting this month’s line-up with a soup, courtesy of Sylvie over at A Pot of Tea and a Biscuit. Sylvie has made us a simple and tasty Turkish Red Lentil Soup, flavoured with a kick of paprika. Doesn’t it look gorgeous? Such a good start to the event.(Manchester, England)

Next we are heading over to Feeding My Enthusiasms, where Elle has made us a Hearty Potato and Spinach Soup. What makes this soup really special, is the care taken in the preparation. Elle roasted the onions and potatoes in balsamic vinegar, before adding them to her rich green soup.(Northern California, US)

Rachel over at Rachel’s Ramblings, is a first-timer here at NCR. Rachel is an author who keeps a very amusing diary blog, but has kindly ventured into the kitchen for us and whipped up a Potato, Pea and Coconut Soup, spiced up with chilli, nutmeg and black pepper. A delicious combination of flavours, I think you will agree?(Gloucestershire, UK)

We have a salad next and a mouth-watering one at that! Johanna over at Green Gourmet Giraffe has made us a Dill Pickle Potato Salad. Potatoes, carrots, red onion, peas, dill pickle and caraway seeds, all coated in a vinegary dressing. Yum!(Melbourne, Australia)

Priya over at Priya’s Nice N Tasty Recipes has made us a Leek & Potato Creamy Soup, but because this young lady lives in the city of love, Paris, she also calls it Veloute De Poireaux. Doesn’t that just sound divine? Definitely delicious in any language :)(Paris, France)

Manda over at Asparagus Thin has made us a Curried Roasted Root Vegetable Salad, which sounds like it is packed with flavour. Parsnips, celery root, rutabaga, beets, potato and shallots, marinated overnight in a curried dressing and then topped with herbs just before serving.(Virginia, US)

We have another first-timer next. Val from Soup and Song. Val has made us a tasty Potato and Chickpea Stew with Chipotle. For this spicy and stew-like soup, Val selected potatoes, leeks, garlic, carrots and celery, which she thickened and spiced up with tomato paste, Mexican oregano and chipotle chile in adobo sauce. Lovely!(Oakland, US)

Next we have a blogger who had a bit of a break, but when she came back, we realised why. Let me introduced you to the newly wedded and with a newly souped up (forgive the pun) blog, Jenny from I Married an Omnivore. Jenny has made us a Rustic Whole wheat Potato Soup, which she insists I double dared or as she put it double dawg dared her to make. I deny all knowledge of this of course, he he!(Michigan, US)

For my entry, I had a root around in the fridge and decided use carrots and sweet potatoes in my salad. I really liked the dressing, but I very slightly overcooked the sweet potato, so I wasn’t overly impressed by my own contribution. Luckily it is not up for the vote! So here it is, my Sweet Potato and Carrot Side Salad. (not in vote)(Dundee, Scotland)

Next up is Sweatha from Tasty Curry Leaf, a veteran NCR blogger. Sweatha has made us a Cajun Style Potato and Kale Soup. I am really enjoying spicy soups at the moment and this one is spiced beautifully with paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, oregano and thyme. This Cajun Seasoning would be good for spicing up a whole range of dishes. I will definitely be bookmarking this recipe.(Banglore, India)

I’d like to welcome a new blogger from Bonny Scotland next. Claire from the The Hungriest Hippo. Claire has made us a Potato, Roast Garlic and Thyme Soup. Indeed, a whole head of garlic, which always tastes so sweet and delicious after roasting. A nice combination of flavours Claire :)(Edinburgh, UK)

You couldn’t fail to love this next soup, it has such a fabulous name! It is Tater Frenzy made lovingly by Abbhi over at Soulful Creations. This is a creamy soup thanks to the soymilk added and given a slight tang with some balsamic vinegar. Yum! Welcome to NCR Abbhi, we hope to see a lot more from you in the future :)(Maryland, US)

After a torturous visit to the dentist (well once the drugs wore off anyway), Ailsa from One Frugal Foodie, came up with this soothing dish - Rich and Creamy Potato Miso Soup. Ailsa claims she is not good at thinking up “flavorful yet harmonious concepts”, but forgive me for saying, that is tosh Ailsa LOL! This soup sounds really, really good. Keep them coming :)(Las Vegas, US)

Our last entry is from my co-host and good friend, Lisa over at Lisa’s Kitchen. Lisa is in the midst of cold and snowy weather just now, which doesn’t seem to end, so she has made us a nourishing winter’s soup - Cream of Potato and Turnip Soup. Instead of the usual milk and flavour base, Lisa has added pureed white beans (cannelloni) to the soup, so that this soup packs a nutritional punch as well as being full of flavour. (not in vote)(London, Canada)

Please vote for your favourite in the voting poll, over to the right, which will be up and running until the 27th of February, after which the winner will be announced and awarded a badge for their blog. (poll closed, see the winner here).

This is my entry for this month's No Croutons Required. There is still time to join in, just make a soup or a salad featuring potatoes and submit your entry to me at nocroutonsrequired@googlemail.com by the 20th of February. The line-up and voting poll will be posted the next day and then the winner will be announced on the 28th of February 2009. The rules can be found here. Please remember to include where you are from in your email.

I woke up this morning and looked out of the window to a winter wonderland. Thick, thick snow and it was coming down fast. I just had to go out for a walk, so I wrapped up warm in my walking gear and headed out. It was great and I just love the silence that accompanies a thick layer of snow.

So you might think that this sort of day would call for a hearty bowl of hot soup!

Well, that would have been nice, but I am aching for Spring to arrive. Wishful thinking, maybe, but I want Spring and I want it now! Hence this light and zesty, mushroom and herb pasta salad. After all, when the house is all toasty, you can pretend.

Cook the pasta until al dente and then rinse in cold water, to cool and stop the cooking process. Leave to drain.

Saute the mushrooms in the olive oil and garlic, until soft, then season.

Whizz up the dressing ingredients.

Transfer the pasta to a large bowl, mix in the mushrooms and coat with the herb dressing.

Serves 4 - 6

Graham was sent home from work early because of the snow. A snow day, lucky him. He was very pleased to come home to warm house and a bowl of this pasta salad. It got a big thumbs up!

I am sending this salad over to Ruth at Once Upon A Feast as my entry for Presto Pasta Nights. I haven't entered a dish for ages, but I couldn't miss out on this line-up as it is the 100th edition. So a big congratulations to Ruth and her guest hosts for continuing to present us with a gorgeous selections of pasta dishes every week!

Snow is on the ground again here in Scotland. The Winter does not seem to want to let go it's icy grip. On the bright side, we are gaining a few minutes of daylight every day, so it doesn't seem so dismal. My one complaint is that it is absolutely baltic at work. It is hard to use a computer when your fingers are stiff with the cold.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place the tomatoes, onions and garlic in a roasting tray, mix with the olive oil and season. Roast the vegetables for 20 - 30 minutes until the vegetables are starting to brown at the edges.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before removing the skin from the garlic.

Whizz up the vegetables in a blender and add to your soup pot, along with the stock and lentils. Cook your soup for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are tender, then add the lemon juice and coriander and taste for seasoning.

This is a free food forum and everyone is welcome to join. There are recipes, discussions, a veg patch, a wine bar and even a book club (We haven't had a new book to read for a while, so any new suggestions would be welcomed)!

Why not come along and have a look and maybe a chat. You will find some really friendly and welcoming bloggers there.

This month is the Potato Edition of No Croutons Required. I would like you to make a soup or a salad featuring potatoes. I am hoping that this challenge will appeal to everyone. Those experiencing the highest and those experiencing the lowest of temperatures just now.

Submit your entries to me at nocroutonsrequired@googlemail.com by the 20th of February. The line-up and voting poll will be posted the next day and then the winner will be announced on the 28th of February 2009. The rules can be found here. Please remember to include where you are from in your email.